Locking device for gate hinges of a motor-truck body



W 3951 J. R. ARMSTRONG 2, 48,

LOCKING DEVICE FOR GATE HINGE'S OF A MOTOR-TRUCK BODY Filed Aug. 13, 1949 JoH/v Rosem- ARMsrRo/va Patented Apr. 10, 1951 LOCKING DEVICE FOR GATE HINGES OF A MOTOR-TRUCK BODY John Robert Armstrong, London, Ontario, Canada Application August 13, 1949, Serial No. 110,085

6 Claims.

My invention appertains to improvements in locking devices for hingedly connected gates of motor-truck bodies. The ordinary rack employed as an enclosure for the decks of motor-truck bodies is customarily made up of so-called gates having stakes engaged in pockets on the truckbody to enable it to be readily detached as oocasion may require. A recognized difficulty with gates of such racks is that the stakes occasionally jump out of the pockets when the truck is traveling over rough pavements and roads. Locking devices of one kind or another are resorted to for the purpose of preventing the gates from becoming detached and falling off the truck.

The aim of my invention is to provide an improved mode of locking the hinge connections between adjoining gates, and further to provide a locking device which is simple in construction and which will permit of the gates being quickly freed for removal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a locking device which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.

Ihe locking device of my invention comprehends a ring, loop or like member for engaging on the knuckle and pintle portions of the hinge ordinarily used on a gate of the kind referred to. The ring or like member is made captive to one of the interconnected gates by means of a coil spring placed under tension.

The ring or like member is positioned with a section of a side thereof at the rear of the pintle below the knuckle, and with an opposite section thereof disposed over the knuckle to thereby lock the two leaves of the hinge together. The latter section is provided with a lug which extendsinwardly thereof to rearwa'rdly engage the top of the knuckle in order to retain the ring in place.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear view of a standard motor-truck showing the invention applied to the gates on the body.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of two adjoining gates depicting the locking device applied to the hinge thereon. This view shows how the locking ring is initially placed on the hinge.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 the ring is shown partly turned to bring the lug thereon into engagement with the top portion of the pintle. In Fig. 4 the ring is shown fully turned to engage the lug with the top portion of the pintle.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the locking ring.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the locking device in applied position on the hinge, and

Fig. 7 is a view showing the locking device on a hinge at the corner formed by two gates at right angles to each other. It will be noted that a lug is not used on this ring of the locking device.

ill)

In the drawing the reference numeral 8 denotes a body of an ordinary motor-truck. Said body is of the type which is equipped with stake pockets 9, Fig. 1. On the body or deck is a plurality of vertical wall sections or gates which compose the rack. Said gates are illustrated as of the open type which are conventionally made up or the stakes l0 and the rails l i. The gates may, however, be of the solid type in which an imperforated wall is provided with stakes. The gates are supported by engagement of the stakes in the pockets.

The adjoining gates at the sides of said body and at the rear end thereof are connected by the usual type of hinge in which the leaves are detachably secured by a knuckle l2 and a pintle It. The pintle'has a shank I4 extending outwardly from its leaf IE to a bend or top part 16 from where the pintle extends downwardly to engage the hole in the knuckle and to project for some distance below the same, as will be understood by those familiar with this style of hinge. The knuckle is integrated with the leaf il. It is usual to employ a plurality of such hinges at the meeting ends of adjoining gates, but only one hinge is shown in the drawing at such meeting ends of the gates. It will be understood, however, that the number of hinges employed on the gates is immaterial to the invention.

The locking device of the invention comprehends a metal ring #8 of a size to freel encompass the knuckle I 2 of the hinge and the portion of the pintle I 3 extending therethrough. Said ring is made substantially elliptical in shape and in its locking position it is arranged lengthwise oi the hinge. the bottom side section 20 of the ring are curved to one side of a plane containing the ends 2| of the ring. This arcuate shape enables the ring to be placed over the assembled leaves of the hinge with one end of the ring seated against the shank 14 of the pintle and the other end seated against the shank 22 of the knuckle, and with the topside section I9 extending behind the top portion [5 of the pintle and with the bottom side section 20 extending behind the protruding end of the pintle.

In this applied position on the hinge, the looking ring efiectively secures the pintle against withdrawal from the knuckle. To maintain the locking ring in applied position, it is provided with an integral lug 23 which projects downwardly from the top side section I 9 to rearwardly engage the top It or the pintle. The ring is attached by a coil spring 24 to the gate that carries the pintle of the hinge. Said spring has one of its ends permanently fastened to the gate and the other end similarly secured to the ring as by an eye-piece 25. In applied position, the ring is The top side section It and.

endwise tensioned by the spring to firmly retain it in place.

To apply the locking ring, it is initially sleeved over the lower end of the pintle and placed over the knuckle, as shown in Fig. 2, at an angle so that the lug may be passed behind the top It of the pintle. The ring is then turned to a horizontal position with the lug engaged with the rear face of the pintle-top, see Figs. 3 and 4. The spring is pulled in applying the ring and the tension thereof maintains the ring in place. The locking ring can be easily applied and quickly removed. It provides an effective lock and is inexpensive to manufacture.

It will be noted that, in Fig. 7 there is shown a locking ring 25 of a variant form. This looking ring is a plain circular member without a lug. It is used on the gates at the rear corners of the truck-body and is tensioned by the spring 21. Since the leaves of a corner hinge are connected at right angles to each other, the spring pulls in a direction to retain the ring in place.

The advantages and utility of the invention will be manifest from the preceding description, and

it will be understood that such incidental changes and modifications of the selected form of the invention may be resorted to as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A locking device for a gate-hinge having separable leaves provided with a knuckl and a pintle loosel extending downwardly through the knuckle and endwise protruding therebelow, said locking device comprising a ring having a bottom side section and a top side section, said ring being suited to be sleeved upwardly over the end of the pintle to embrace the knuckle with said boltorn side section disposed below the knuckle and said top side section disposed above the same, and retaining means on said top side section for rearwardly engaging a part of the pintle above the knuckle.

2. A locking device for a gate-hinge having separable leaves provided with a knuckle and a pintle loosel extending downwardly through the knuckle and endwise protruding therebelow, said locking device comprising a ring of substantially an elliptical configuration having end sections, a bottom side section and a top side section, said bottom and top side sections being curved through their length away from a plane containing said end sections, whereby the ring is capable of embracing the knuckle and the pintle when sleeved upwardly over the end of the pintle with said top side section disposed at the rear of the upper part of the pintle, and means on said top side section for rearwardly engaging said upper part of the pintle to retain the ring in place.

3. A locking device for a gate-hinge having separable leaves provided with a knuckle and a pintle loosely extending downwardly through the knuckle and endwise protruding therebelow, said locking device comprising a ring of substantially an elliptical configuration having end sections, a

bottom side section and a top side section, said bottom and top side sections being curved through their length away from a plane containing said end sections, whereby the ring is capable of embracing the knuckle and the pintle when sleeved upwardly over the end of the pintle with said top side section disposed at the rear of the upper part of the pintle, and a lug inwardly extending from said top side section for rearwardly engaging said upper part of the pintle.

4. A locking device for a gate-hinge having separable leaves provided with a knuckle and a pintle loosely extending downwardly through the knuckle and endwise protruding therebelow, said locking device comprising a ring of substantially an elliptical configuration having end sections, a bottom side section and a top side section, said bottom and top side sections being curved through their length away from a plane containing said end sections, whereby the ring is capable of embracing the knuckle and thepintle when sleeved upwardly over the end of the pintle with said top side section disposed at the rear of the upper part of the pintle, means on said top side section of the ring for rearwardly engaging said upper part of the pintle, and tethering means for the ring.

5. A locking device for a gate-hinge having separable leaves provided with a knuckle and a pintle loosely extending downwardly through the knuckle and endwise protruding therebelow, said locking device comprising a ring of substantially an elliptical configuration having end sections, a bottom side section and a top side section, said bottom and top side sections being curved through their length away from a plane containing said end sections, whereby the ring is capable of embracing the knuckle and the pintle when sleeved upwardly over the end of the pintle with said top side section disposed at the rear of the upper part of the pintle, means on said top side section of the ring for rearwardly engaging said upper part of the pintle, and a flexible device for attaching the ring to a relatively fixed support.

6. A locking device for a gate-hinge having separable leaves provided with a knuckle and a pintle loosely extending downwardly through the knuckle and endwise protruding therebelow, said locking .device comprising a ring of substantially an elliptical configuration having end sections, a bottom side section and a top side section, said bottom and top side sections being curved through their length away from a plane containing said end sections, whereby the ring is capable of embracing the knuckle and the pintle when sleeved upwardly over the end of the pintle with said top side section disposed at the rear of the upper part of the pintle, means on said top side section of the ring for rearwardly engaging said upper part of the pintle, and a helical coil spring for tethering the ring and for tensioning the same in its locking position.

JOHN ROBERT ARMSTRONG.

No references cited. 

